The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #35080 Message #3308480
Posted By: GUEST,Kevin the gerbil
14-Feb-12 - 02:23 PM
Thread Name: 'Singing Together' - BBC Song Booklets
Subject: RE: 'Singing Together' 1958 UK
Fascinating and very enjoyable thread this, which I found today when I googled "Singing Together", after I had been talking with a friend about being in the school choir. Singing Together was the brainchild of William "Pip" Appleby (mentioned earlier) who was based in Doncaster and who drew the singers in the Singing Together Choir from local schools in the surrounding area - and possibly further afield, but I'm not sure about that. I remember Singing Together and Sing at Sight from my primary school days in Doncaster in the late 50s/early 60s. The song lists given above are absolute gems btw - "Oh 'tis my delight on a shining night, when the copper's not about..." (With apologies to Rambling Sid Rumpo).
I know that for a while at least in the early-to-mid 1960's they used the Library in the then Doncaster Grammar School to record the shows for the BBC because the acoustics - rather ironic I know for a library - were considered to be very good. William Appleby is still remembered with great affection by many people in Doncaster as the man who brought the possibility of a good musical education to several generations of essentially working class children. And his work is continued still - and very successfully - in the town by the exceptional staff in the Music Centre named after him.